Justice League: What do we know so far?

Justice League: Will old Game of Thrones rogue play the villain?

7 July

Charles Dance, who played Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, may be in line for a similar bad-guy role as the villain Steppenwolf in the new Warner Brothers' Justice League film.

That's according to a Twitter account that calls itself Wayne Enterprises and claims that WB is looking at the former patriarch of the Lannister clan to play the villainous uncle of Darseid.

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The Steppenwolf character did have a scene in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but his appearance was cut from the theatrical release. However, Cinema Blend reports that Steppenwolf is sure to be the "alien threat coming to earth that Lex Luthor warned about".

The website adds that while Dance's appointment remains just speculation, it would be a "great choice" if it happens to be true.

"As Steppenwolf, Dance would certainly be augmented with digital effects, but that powerful voice of his would certainly give the character some serious authority," says the site.

One actor who has definitely signed on to the Justice League films is Invictus star Julian Lewis Jones. Lewis Jones has remained tight-lipped about his character but did tell MovieWeb: "I'm not allowed to say yet what part I play but let's just say I've a role in what will likely be the most expensive film ever made. I'm just happy to have been involved and I'm looking forward to the movie's release which will be next year."

Justice League: Batman and Superman face a new threat, synopsis reveals

22 June

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was broadly panned by critics as overwrought, bombastic and lacking in character development.

But despite this, it has still made $330m (£225m) in US grosses, along with $542m (£369m) in overseas earnings.

As the dust settled, the overall sense is that the film "made loads of money yet was at best a mixed blessing because it was expected to and needed to make more and didn’t inspire excitement in the DC Films/DC Extended Universe franchise that it was supposed to kick off", says Forbes.

Nevertheless, the studio is ploughing on with its superhero franchise plans. Consequently, it has unveiled the official synopsis and logo for the first Justice League film, which will bring together Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash.

"Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy," the official synopsis says.

"Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes - it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions."

At the helm will be Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder, while that film's stars, Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, will be joined by Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher.

Affleck, who plays Caped Crusader Bruce Wayne, also unveiled the logo for the film:

Meanwhile, the studio has released a sneak peek of the new Batmobile:

Justice League is scheduled for release in November 2017.

Justice League: Lex Luthor likely to appear

19 June

The end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left supervillain Lex Luthor looking at a long stretch in jail, although his final lines of dialogue, saying he'd been in contact with a greater force, suggest he had other ideas.

Now the actor behind the megalomaniac villain has given the clearest hint yet that he could be back in Justice League Part One film.

"I'm kind of in wait. They just started filming Justice League, so I'm kind of like waiting for my crack at it," Jesse Eisenberg told MCM London Comic-Con, according to Digital Spy.

"I don't know what I'm allowed to say because I feel like there's probably some drone following me from DC and if I say anything wrong, I get, you know, picked off.

"But yeah, I think so. And I love it and I love everybody who's in it. You know, it's a really talented group of people."

It's also been revealed that the film will not have a subtitle, nor will it carry the "Part One" suffix many fans had assumed it would.

DC Films's Geoff Johns clarified the upcoming film’s new title in a tweet.

The title revision "follows screenwriter Chris Terrio suggesting that the movie would be the conclusion of an origin trilogy started with 2013's Man of Steel", says Hollywood Reporter.

"I do think from Man of Steel through Justice League, it is one saga really," Terrio said in March.

The new film would "try to lift us… into a different tonal place" following the downbeat conclusion of Batman v Superman, he added.

Fans believe the title change will lead to a closer tie-in between the film and the 2011 comic book of the same name. The opening storyline of that series "told the story of how the group was formed in order to deal with an alien invasion led by the forces of Darkseid, a character whose presence was hinted at in Batman v Superman", says Hollywood Reporter.

In other Justice League related news, JK Simmons, who plays Commissioner Gordon, says he starts filming sometime this month.

His role is understood to be small, but Simmons told Entertainment Weekly that he hopes to continue playing the iconic character in upwards of four or more films. This, the website believes, will almost certainly include Ben Affleck's standalone Batman.

Simmons's training regime has set the internet ablaze, with photos from fitness professional Aaron Williamson showing the 61-year-old actor to be in perhaps the best shape of his life.

Williamson, who also trains Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson, told The Hollywood Reporter: "[Simmons is] doing such a good job of being disciplined and staying dedicated to doing something he hasn't done before with his physique. He's ripped. He's more shredded than I am."

Justice League, which will be released in November 2017, is just one of 13 projects the actors has on the horizon.